The need to depress pyrite during flotation of sulfide ores and/or coal is well-known. With particular regard to the former, diverting the pyrite into waste material, significantly upgrade; the concentrates of the result in ores as well as reduces smelting costs since there less sulfur dioxide and sulfuric acid produced as byproducts. With particular regard to the need to depress pyrite in coal, calorific content is improved with its removal, as well as proving a concomitant reduction in sulfur emissions, enabling the user to more easily meet Federal and State regulations.
While a vast array of reagents for pyrite depression have been proposed and reported, we are unaware of use of 2-S thiouronium-ethane phosphonate (TEPA) as a pyrite depressant during both coal and copper sulfide flotation operations, and moreover, we are surprised by the effectiveness thereof in such operations.